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345 SE 5th, Madras, OR 97741 | 541.475.2275
The Blazer was struck by at least four bullets.
Like a scene out of an old Western, an October poaching incident turned into a 30-mile chase with gunfire from three separate vehicles.
Two of the players in the incident -- a poacher and a rancher -- have both been sentenced for their parts in the incident, while a good samaritan, who stopped to help, awaits sentencing.
Johnathan Parker
The poacher, Johnathan M. Parker, 25, of Culver, was sentenced March 1 to 210 days (seven months) in the Jefferson County Correctional Facility for two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, Class C felonies, for firing his .308 caliber, semi-automatic rifle at the rancher and the good samaritan -- a custodial supervisor at Deer Ridge Correctional Institution.
Parker also pleaded guilty to unlawful taking of a game animal, an unclassified misdemeanor, for shooting a doe and a fawn on property owned by the rancher, Tom A. Norton Jr., of Madras.
On Monday, Norton, 35, who owns Norton Cattle Co., and serves on the 509-J School District Board of Directors, entered a no contest plea to recklessly endangering another person, a Class A misdemeanor.
Circuit Court Judge Gary A. Williams sentenced Norton to seven days in the county jail, and 24 months of bench probation. Under the negotiated plea, Williams dismissed charges of unlawful use of a weapon, and pointing a firearm at another.
Tom Norton Jr.
Incident unfolds
According to Sgt. Marc Heckathorn, of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, who wrote the 120-plus page report, the incident unfolded early in the afternoon on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009, when Norton heard gunshots at his ranch and went to investigate.
A ranch employee and two others, Parker, and Michael Dobbins, 42, were just leaving. Parker and Dobbins had gone to the ranch to help the employee start a vehicle. Neither the employee nor Dobbins faced charges in the incident.
Heckathorn said that Norton questioned them, and "they said they were shooting, but not at anything."
Still suspicious, Norton went back to investigate and found two dead deer, which had their throats cut and had been drug to a secluded spot.
"According to Mr. Norton, upon discovering the dead deer (a doe and a fawn), he chased down a vehicle in the area and confronted the occupants," Heckathorn wrote in the affidavit for the arrest of Parker.
When Norton caught up with Parker and Dobbins, who were driving a Chevrolet Blazer, about four miles east of U.S. Highway 97 on Ashwood Road, he asked them to get out of their vehicle. The employee, who was in a separate vehicle in front of Parker's and was not involved in the incident, continued on.
Parker, the driver of the vehicle, and Norton "engaged in a physical altercation," the report stated.
After the confrontation, which left Parker bloodied, Dobbins helped Parker back to the vehicle and agreed to drive Parker to the sheriff's office, with Norton following.
McDonald offers assistance
In the meantime, as the altercation was ending, Gary W. McDonald, 68, of Metolius, drove by and stopped to see if he could be of assistance to Norton.
It was "a nice, sunny afternoon," and McDonald said he was on his way to the Friend Ranch in Ashwood. Although he did not know Norton, he recognized him.
"Being a good citizen I offered to help," said McDonald.
Attorney David Allen, who represented Norton, said that Norton secured Parker's promise "to voluntarily drive to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department to turn himself in."
Dobbins drove Parker's vehicle, followed by Norton in a flatbed truck, and McDonald in a Toyota Tundra. Along the way, Norton continued to call dispatch to report on their progress, although cell phone coverage was spotty.
On Highway 97, it became evident that Parker didn't intend to proceed slowly to the sheriff's office. The Blazer sped up and turned west toward Gateway.
"On Juniper, Gary McDonald passed Tom and the Blazer, trying to box him in," Heckathorn said. "The Blazer did a U-ey and turned and went partially through a field and went back through Gateway to Clark Drive, heading back toward Madras."
McDonald and Norton again caught up to the older vehicle, and McDonald passed the vehicle and applied his brakes in an attempt to get the Blazer to slow down.
"Parker, who was in the passenger seat, leaned out the window and fired a shot," said Heckathorn, noting that the bullet struck McDonald's tire, which immediately deflated.
As McDonald slowed down to pull off the road, the Blazer drove past him, and he fired at the vehicle.
"When you shoot someone's tire out at 45 to 50 miles per hour, that's pretty serious," said McDonald, who witnessed it through his rearview mirror. "After they shot out my tires, I shot at their tires."
The bullet lodged in the Blazer's frame, between the front and back passenger doors, Heckathorn said, about six inches from where Parker was seated.
"It happened so fast -- him leaning out the car window trying to shoot my tire out," said McDonald, who is on leave from his job at DRCI. "Everything I did was automatic reflex."
With McDonald's vehicle disabled, Dobbins and Parker continued on, while Norton was "trying to talk to dispatch and keeping a ways back," Heckathorn said, since Parker had his head out the vehicle's sunroof, and was pointing his rifle at Norton.
During the chase, two deputies from the sheriff's office were attempting to locate the vehicles. However, since the vehicles were moving and the cell phone calls were sporadic, it wasn't an easy task, Heckathorn pointed out.
A bullet pierced the rim of one of the Blazer’s tires.
Finally, again on Fir Lane, between Highway 97 and 26, "Mr. Parker's vehicle came to a stop and Mr. Parker exited the vehicle with a rifle in his hands above his head."
For a moment, the chase appeared to be over. A police car seemed to be approaching with lights flashing and siren on. The men saw the police car, but the deputy didn't see them, and turned onto North Adams Drive, heading toward Madras.
About that time, a car pulled up behind them, driven by Parker's girlfriend, with two small children in the back seat and Dobbins' wife, Jackie, in the passenger seat.
"Parker jumped on the hood of the car, which pulled parallel to the Blazer," said Heckathorn. "Tom was behind them. A female (Jackie Dobbins) got out of the car and exchanged places with Michael Dobbins. Parker jumped in the back and screamed, `Go, go, go!'"
The vehicle drove away, leaving Jackie Dobbins. "The women didn't know what was going on," he said, referring to both Parker's girlfriend and Jackie Dobbins. "She hopped in the rig (Blazer) and started to leave."
Norton, who thought there was evidence in the Blazer and didn't want it to get away, fired at it, striking it three times -- once on the driver's side rear passenger door, and twice on the passenger side, "blowing out front and rear tires." She drove to the nearest residence.
Norton followed the car -- a Chevrolet Lumina -- which was westbound on Fir Lane, crossing Highway 26. When Fir Lane ended in a farmer's field, the Lumina turned north on a farmer's dirt road and stopped.
"Dobbins took off running," said Heckathorn. "Parker takes over the driver's seat. He ends up getting the rig stuck. Parker takes off on foot with his family."
Parker, who had lost a lot of blood from the earlier fight with Norton, surrendered to deputy Melody Zistel, who had arrived on the scene.
Jefferson County Emergency Medical Services and Heckathorn arrived at the same time, but Zistel transported Parker, already a convicted felon, to Mountain View Hospital before taking him into custody.
As the chase was ending in the field and deputy Brad Hamlin was talking to Jackie Dobbins, McDonald, who had changed his tire, showed up on his way to the sheriff's office.
Officers seized all the weapons, as well as the Blazer, located Michael Dobbins, and took everyone back to the sheriff's office to be interviewed.
"I didn't even realize there had been any shots exchanged until about 45 minutes into the interviews," said Heckathorn, who stressed that citizens have the right to make a citizen's arrest, but cannot fire a weapon. "You have to have your life being threatened."
A grand jury indicted both Norton and McDonald on Dec. 8, 2009, for unlawful use of a weapon, recklessly endangering another person, and pointing a firearm at another.
"As far as I'm concerned they're throwing the book at me for being a good citizen," said McDonald, noting that he's a law-abiding citizen. "I am still absolutely flabbergasted by this whole thing."
According to District Attorney Steve Leriche, who said he cannot comment on a pending case, "You're not entitled to use deadly force to defend your property."
McDonald is scheduled to enter a plea April 12.
Under Norton's plea agreement, during his two-year probation period, he may not actively possess firearms, and must also surrender the firearm used during the incident. His jail term must be completed within six months.
The incident will not impact his school board position.
"It would not affect his board position. We feel he's been a valuable board member, and it's more of a personal matter," said Superintendent Rick Molitor, adding that school officials don't have authority over board members.
